“On behalf of everyone who worked on this book, I want to thank those readers. In this market, there is no way that a book starring CATMAN, of all people, should even exist, let alone be the favorite read of so many pros, readers, and critics. More comics pros and staffers from all companies told me it was their favorite DC book than anything else I have ever worked on. I think the message was that there was room for outsider comics even during a time when the focus is so intent on the icon characters,” she said in a post on her forum over at the Bendis Boards. If you were a fan of the series, click on over there and read everything she has to say.

The current incarnation of the Secret Six first appeared in the Villains United miniseries back in 2005, as Catman, Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, Deadshot, Parademon and Chesire were recruited by the mysterious Mockingbird to oppose Lex Luthor’s Secret Society of Super Villains. The team next appeared in its own miniseries and in Birds of Prey before moving on to their own ongoing series in 2008. Although the membership changed slightly over the years, the tone and quality of the stories has not, as Simone and her artistic partners — Dale Eaglesham, Nicola Scott and J. Calafiore, among others — have shown that B-level villains can be just as intriguing and entertaining as A-list heroes (and sometimes even more so).

Simone says that the editors gave the creative team enough warning about it ending that they were able to end “the way we wanted, with our team intact.” That’s great to hear, and I look forward to seeing what happens to one of my favorite books in August.